Monday, 4 April 2016

A few years back, DAST
projected the names of people that had been lost to Mesothelioma onto the tower
of Derby Cathedral. This event drew attention to the issue of asbestos diseases
and put the word ‘Mesothelioma’ into the local media. The photographs taken on
the night have become iconic to the work of DAST – an image both arresting and
poignant.

Since that event, time has
progressed and unfortunately a lot more East Midlands residents have been
diagnosed with Mesothelioma. We thought that it was time to stage another event
of this type, especially since it would complement our new Bereavement Support
project. The projection of names allows loved ones to share their loss and to
gather with others who have been affected in the same way.

When it came to choosing a
location, Lincolnshire immediately sprung to mind. At the time of planning, this was a
particularly busy county. DAST was being referred a third more asbestos disease
cases from here than from the second busiest county of Derbyshire. We felt that
these statistics signalled a need for an awareness drive in this area,
encouraging local people to be aware of the issues being faced by so many
people.

So, on 9th
November 2016, DAST will be holding an event in Lincoln City Centre. We will be
in the grounds of Lincoln Cathedral – the highest point for miles around – and
we will be projecting names onto one of the buildings. We will also have
speakers and we will be displaying information about the dangers of asbestos.

We will invite the local
press as well as trade union and local council representatives to help filter
the message out into the local community. This will be one of the stand-out
events of our busy year.

But this is going to cost
us quite a lot of money. We need to purchase the technical expertise to set up
the projection programme and to deliver this on the night. We also need to
invest in getting the event noticed by purchasing advertisements and printing
leaflets.

At the moment we have yet
to receive any pledges of support specifically towards this project – so this
is where you can help!

We need sponsors. Because of the nature of our core funding and
the trade union-based ethos of our charity we have to be careful about who we
accept sponsor money from. For example, we cannot accept donations from
solicitors who are not on our panel, or from asbestos removal companies who are
not properly registered and qualified. But we are interested in hearing from
any Lincolnshire based trade union or business that would fit well with our
work. It might even be a workplace where a colleague has been affected by
asbestos exposure from their work in the past.

In return for this
support, we can offer a mention in the event literature and in our newsletter
and annual report. We will also acknowledge donations on our social media
accounts.

Ideally, we need to raise
around £4,000 for this event. Any shortfall will be made up from our general
fund so the event will still go ahead. However our general fund also needs to
pay for the home visits and other methods of directly supporting those affected
by asbestos and Mesothelioma.

Do you know someone who
can help? Can you make a contribution to
this event? Please let us know: